Discharge

It is important that the necessary arrangements are made for your discharge and any after-care that may be required. Before you leave hospital any questions or concerns should be addressed with your healthcare team.

The length of your hospital stay will vary depending on your individual circumstances and healthcare needs. This could be from 4 hours after a vaginal birth or from 24-72 hours following a caesarean birth.

Discharge time is 10am.You may be required to sit out in a waiting area until your transport arrives.

If your baby requires care in Special Care Nursery (SCN), you will be discharged when you are medically cleared, and your baby will remain an inpatient in the SCN.

If you have been referred from another hospital or health service, we will endeavour to return you to your local area as soon as possible.

If you think you will need additional support at home, please talk to our staff early so w​e can arrange the required support ahead of time.

Preparing to go home after the birth of your baby

The health and safety of you and your baby is our priority. Discharge will only occur when it is clinically appropriate and safe to go home.

Mother ready:

health check

eating and drinking

passing urine

any pain managed through a pain management plan

moving/walking

understanding of any ongoing healthcare needs

social, cultural and emotional needs have been considered

awareness of your baby’s physical, social and emotional needs

received referrals/instructions for follow up treatment and checks.

Baby ready:

health check

have a feeding plan

vitamin K and Hepatitis B considered

birth registration paperwork and purple Health Record given and explained.

received referrals/instructions for follow up treatment and checks.

Home ready:

discharge medication arranged

transport and baby car seat arranged*

understanding and awareness of available support services

discharge paperwork completed

social and home environment have been considered

safe sleeping environment for baby discussed.

* A rear-facing baby seat should be fitted if going home by car, visit www.kidsafe.com.au for restraint guidelines and recommendations.

Once at home, the Visiting Midwifery Service (VMS) is available to most women attending KEMH and the Family Birth Centre who reside within approximately a 40km radius from the hospital. Women who live outside this limit can see their GP, Child Health Nurse or local hospital for postnatal support.

Before leaving the ward

Please make sure you collect any private x-rays, scans and medications and confirm if you have any follow-up appointments. Also, please ensure you take all of your personal items with you.

Your responsibilities

During the first 24 hours after surgery (including day surgery), you must be supervised by a responsible adult. During that time, you should NOT:

drink alcohol, take mind-altering substances, or smoke

drive a car, bike or other vehicle

undertake heavy exercise

operate machinery including cooking implements

care for infants without responsible help

make important decisions or sign a legal document.

Your feedback is important

Our aim is to ensure our patients receive the best possible care throughout their hospital stay at KEMH we encourage your feedback on any aspect of your care to enable us to learn from your experience and to improve our service and acknowledge departments and staff who are meeting or exceeding expectations.

After you have been discharged, you may receive a confidential survey by post. Your participation is very important and your responses will remain confidential, so please feel free to express your opinions frankly. All survey results are regularly reviewed by senior management and service areas.

Our feedback, compliments and complaints page contains information on how to let us know about any concerns or compliments about KEMH services or care before, during or after your admission.